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This simple air fryer quesadilla recipe guarantees perfect ooey-gooey quesadillas every time! Load them up with your favorite fillings, or keep things simple with our 3-ingredient bean-and-cheese version. Either way, you’ll end up with a crispy, melty quesadilla ready to eat in no time at all.

Crispy, golden-brown, triangle-shaped air fryer quesadilla slices on a plate with a ramekin of chunky pico de gallo.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

Quesadillas are already pretty easy – I mean, load up a tortilla, fold it in half, and heat it up. Pretty straightforward! So what makes an air fryer quesadilla so special? Well, you don’t have to heat up the whole kitchen to make it, first of all. The air fryer keeps all that heat nice and contained, which I’m especially happy about in the dead of summer. It also makes the tortilla super crispy. Like way crispier than it gets in a skillet, and with less oil. It’s also super fast! You’ll have a quesadilla that’s ready to eat in 15 minutes or less. Sounds like all good things to me!
Just like any other quesadilla, you can fill an air fryer quesadilla with any of your favorite ingredients. We went with a classic bean-and-cheese combo, but maybe you’d prefer something more fajita-style, with sautéed peppers and onions and shredded salsa chicken. Fully cooked taco meat works great, too, or leftover carne asada. Toss in some diced onion, diced jalapeños, chopped cilantro, pico de gallo, hot sauce, chimichurri ranch… whatever you like! Just don’t stuff it too full, or you’ll end up with more ingredients in your air fryer than in your quesadilla!

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

Generally, quesadillas are made using 10-inch tortillas, but 12-inch tortillas will also work! You’ll probably want to increase the amount of refried beans and shredded cheese you use with the larger tortillas, though. You can also use 8-inch taco tortillas for mini, snack-size quesadillas. Those are great for kiddos, too! Remember to adjust the cook time to accommodate whichever-size tortillas you use.
It’s an extra step, but an important one: flip the quesadilla halfway through the cook time. If you skip the flip, the tortilla will brown unevenly, making it crispier on one side than on the other.
For the best results, shred your own cheese blend from blocks of fresh cheese. The prepackaged, preshredded cheeses have added starches that keep the cheese from clumping in the package. Unfortunately, those starches can also keep the cheese from melting like it should.

A white woman's hand picking up a triangular quesadilla slice from a stack of quesadilla slices.

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Air Fryer Quesadilla

Prep: 10

Cook: 10

Total: 20

Crispy outside, melty inside, and ready in roughly 15 minutes, this air fryer quesadilla recipe is perfect for fast, budget-friendly meals or snacks.

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2 quesadillas

Ingredients

For the Bean & Cheese Quesadillas

▢ 2 10-inch flour tortillas
▢ ½ cup refried beans divided, see Notes
▢ ½ cup shredded Mexican cheese blend divided

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

▢ pico de gallo or salsa of choice
▢ sour cream or crema
▢ guacamole

Equipment

Air Fryer
clean, flat work surface cutting board, countertop, etc.
Silicone spatula or large spoon
Air-Fryer-Safe Cooking Spray
Spatula or tongs

Instructions

Preheat air fryer to 350° Fahrenheit. Place 2 10-inch flour tortillas on clean, flat work surface.
Dollop ¼ cup refried beans on one half of one tortilla. Spread refried beans out to cover tortilla half in one even layer, leaving approximately ¼-inch gap between edge of beans and edge of tortilla. Repeat process with remaining beans and remaining tortilla.
Sprinkle ¼ cup shredded Mexican cheese blend evenly over one layer of refried beans. Be careful not to place cheese too close to edge of tortilla. Repeat with remaining shredded cheese on second tortilla.
Fold one tortilla in half, bringing empty side of tortilla over to cover cheese and beans completely. Flip tortilla over on work surface to hold quesadilla closed. Repeat process with second quesadilla.
Spray air fryer basket with neutral spray oil. Place quesadillas in air fryer basket in one flat layer, working in batches as needed to avoid overcrowding basket. Lightly spray tops of quesadillas with spray oil.
Place air fryer basket in air fryer. Air fry quesadillas 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, remove basket from air fryer and use spatula or tongs to flip quesadillas over.
Return basket to air fryer. Air fry quesadillas 5 to 6 minutes, until tortillas are browned on both sides and cheese is melted.
When desired doneness is achieved, carefully remove basket from air fryer and transfer quesadillas to serving plates. Cut quesadillas into 3 to 4 triangular pieces each and serve immediately with desired sides and toppings.

Notes

Refried Beans: You can use refried pinto beans or refried black beans, either store-bought or homemade.
Cook Time: If you like your quesadillas less-done, with little-to-no crisp, flip the quesadillas after 4 minutes, then cook them 3 minutes more. Check the doneness and continue cooking them, checking them every minute, until they’re as done as you like.
Make it Dairy Free: Use dairy-free cheese.
Make it Gluten Free: Use gluten-free tortillas.
Make it Lower Carb: Use low-carb flour tortillas.

Nutrition Information

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Air Fryer Quesadilla

What Makes This Recipe So Good

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

♨️ More Quick and Easy Air Fryer Recipes